Career Spotlight: Nurse Case Manager

Case management in health care involves assessing, planning, coordinating, and monitoring services to meet an individual’s health and wellness needs. The goal is to ensure appropriate patient advocacy. Nurse case managers assess needs, develop plans of care, schedule appointments, and provide effective collaboration among health care professionals, providers, and patients. By educating patients and families and streamlining care, nurse case managers help individuals achieve their wellness goals efficiently.

For registered nurses seeking to apply their expertise outside the examination room, this career offers an opportunity to improve patient outcomes through coordination and advocacy.

What Does a Nurse Case Manager Do?

Nurse case managers evaluate patient medical histories, assess health needs, and identify existing support networks. They conduct interviews with clients, design treatment plans, schedule appointments, and explain health care options to patients, families, and caregivers, and they act as liaisons between patients, health care providers, and insurers. Case managers also educate patients and their families on health-related matters. Additionally, they maintain documents, review test results with physicians, and support health care aides.

What Skills Do You Need in Case Management?

Are you interested in becoming a nurse case manager? To be successful in this field, you must possess specific skills and traits. Among these are:

  • These types of nurses need to understand patient needs to best advocate for them in case management.
  • Communication skills. These nurses need to be able to use written and verbal communication to coordinate patient services and work with health care providers, clients, and insurers.
  • Problem-solving skills. Case managers sometimes need to be good critical thinkers to devise the best course of action for patients.
  • Organizational skills. Nurse case managers need to manage their time effectively and coordinate treatment plans smoothly to best fulfill their job duties.

How to Become a Nurse Case Manager

To become a nurse case manager, you must become a registered nurse. This involves earning your associate degree in nursing or a bachelor’s degree in nursing and passing the NCLEX-RN examination.

It’s also a good idea to become certified in case management. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Nursing Case Management certification and the Accredited Case Manager certification are two options that would benefit you in pursuing your career in case management and patient advocacy.